By Mandere Onyinkwa
The Education Management Society of Kenya (EMSK) has sounded a “national education emergency,” citing systemic failures across all levels of learning from early childhood to universities.
In a statement signed by Chairman of Conferences Prof. Henry Onderi, the Society warned that Kenya risks “losing an entire generation” if the current trajectory is not urgently corrected.
The Society highlighted slow transitions from Junior Secondary School (JSS) to Senior Secondary School (SSS), overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, and mounting financial pressures on households.
“These are indicators of a deeper, systemic crisis that has been building over time,” the statement read.
At the ECDE level, EMSK pointed to chronic underfunding and irregular quality, while universities continue to grapple with underfunding, governance challenges, ballooning student debt, and declining research output.
“Education reforms cannot succeed in such an environment,” EMSK cautioned, calling for sober, structured engagement among stakeholders rather than hurried interventions.
The Society announced plans to mobilise its membership for a rapid, cross-sectoral survey to provide independent, evidence-based advice to government and stakeholders.
“We reiterate that education is a national investment, not an experiment,” said Prof. Onderi.
This warning comes against the backdrop of worsening realities on the ground, with recent reports showing that thousands of families are struggling to enrol their children in Grade 10 due to financial hardship, with parents narrating sleepless nights and desperate attempts to raise school fees.
Meanwhile, Kenya faces a critical shortage of teachers, threatening the rollout of the Competency-Based Education (CBE) and leaving special needs learners particularly vulnerable.
The Treasury has acknowledged the crisis, noting that upcoming budget cycles must prioritise teacher preparation, instructional materials, and infrastructure to sustain reforms and align education with Kenya’s industrialisation goals.
“Kenya cannot afford to normalise disruption at every level of education. History will judge us harshly if we act as perpetuators or remain by-standers as a young and promising generation gets wasted due to plunders they did not instigate,” the Society said.